


Connections

by Storiesofstars



Category: ARGONAVIS from BanG Dream! AAside (Video Game)
Genre: Gen, How Do I Tag, Yume Week 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-01
Updated: 2020-12-01
Packaged: 2021-03-10 02:41:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,680
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27806983
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Storiesofstars/pseuds/Storiesofstars
Summary: A rainy night in Hakodate doesn't give much hope for anyone, but a girl caught in a downpour might just make a few friends in these trying times (set during episode 4 of the Argonavis anime)
Relationships: Argonavis & OC, Nanahoshi Ren & OC
Comments: 1
Kudos: 8





	Connections

**Author's Note:**

> So Yume Week is a thing. I won't be able to do anything else for it, but day 1 gave me the perfect opportunity to write out the meeting between Argonavis and the lead singer of my OC band.
> 
> Enjoy!

A torrential downpour lay waste to the city of Hakodate that evening, people rushing about with their umbrellas going about their daily lives. A lone girl stood waiting for the crosswalk, drenched in her hoodie, the rain the least of her worries. Walking along the soaked streets, her mind was swirling with thoughts, deafening the sounds of thunder and splashing footsteps.

The only thing to bring her out of her spiral was the sudden chill that hit her, realizing she'd been out for far too long. Shivering as she looked for a place to hide out, she came across the famous Hachimanzaka slope. She briefly saw it in the pamphlet she was given at the tourist centre in the train station, and had she been in a mood to sight see she would've come earlier in the day to take pictures.

She noticed a sign part way up, the glow of the warm lights from the building it was hanging over illuminating the underside of it ever so slightly.

_ Submariner _

Wanting to get out of the rain as soon as possible, she made her way up the steps.

* * *

Inside Submariner, a certain band had just received a call to be an opening act, changing the earlier mood of defeat to disbelief.

Master smiled, watching the boys in front of him. They reminded him so much of himself and his own band at that age-

The squeaking of the opening doors interrupted his train of thought, as he looked over to the new customer.

"Welco- Eh?! Are you alright? You're drenched!"

He rushed over, bringing a hand towel with him. The boys looked over at what was happening, noticing said drenched person standing near the entrance, perhaps looking a bit dejected? Water dripped from their hoodie, the one visible hand gripping the bag strap slung over their shoulder like a vice, head down and hidden by their hood.

"Whoa. Tough luck getting caught in the rain," Banri whispered. Rio hummed in agreement.

She kept her head down, not enjoying the attention. She just wanted a place she could quietly tuck herself away in. 

A white towel entered her vision.

"I don't know if this'll help much, but here. You can hang your coat over there to dry in the meantime."

She took it hesitantly, griping it lightly.

"..."

"Anything I can get started for you? Something warm perhaps?"

"...A mocha. With extra cocoa... please."

He smiled at the shy request.

"Of course. I'll let you know when it's ready. No rush."

He walked off, amused as he watched the boys whispering to each other and giving concerned looks for the poor drenched soul.

Gripping her backpack in her other hand, she walked over to the coat rack, dropping it for a moment as she took off the wet fabric and hung it up, letting out her hair from under the hood. Another chill ran down her spine as the air hit her arms. She patted them down as best she could, not bothering with her soaked jeans near her ankles or her slightly damp t-shirt. It was better than nothing.

"One mocha, extra cocoa."

At the sound of the man's voice, she turned around, and was greeted with 5 new faces, each looking at her in a slightly different way, though she couldn't tell how exactly. Maybe they didn't realize she was a girl from the oversized hoodie and the way she tucked in her long black hair? Or maybe it was the fact that she'd been out in the pouring rain with no umbrella? Perhaps a combination of the two? Whatever it was, she wasn't eager to find out. But there was a pair of eyes that caught her attention; what a nice shade of purple they were.

Picking up her bag again she made her way to the bar where her drink was, avoiding anymore eye contact as subtlety as she could with the help of her bangs. 

The man nodded at her as she neared the counter.

"You can just place that here," he motioned to the now damp towel in her hands. She placed it down, carefully sitting up on the bar stool.

"Enjoy."

She nodded back, taking the cup in both hands, letting the heat of the drink warm her frozen nerves from the rain. She took a sip, immediately tasting the balance of sweetness and bitterness, feeling the warmth envelope her slowly from the inside out. She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding in, feeling her shoulders relax.

"Good eh?"

"Yeah." She took another sip, already feeling better than moments before. "Thank you."

"No need for thanks, it's my job. Though, I won't say no to it." He laughed again, noticing the beauty mark near the frigid girl's upper right lip as she crack a small smile.

Silence settled in, only the muted pitter patter of rain hitting the roof filling the cafe. 

As she gazed into her cup, she found herself wishing she could melt into the mocha in her hands, letting the chocolate and coffee wash away all the unpleasant thoughts that ate away at her, becoming at peace with her anxiety as she floated indefinitely in its warmth.

"I'll say," the man started as he started drying a cup, "it sure is no fun getting caught in a storm eh?"

She paused before responding. "Yeah... I didn't bring my umbrella with me, I didn't check the weather before going out today."

That was only half a lie. She indeed checked the weather. She simply just didn't care. 

"I see. Do let me know if you need anything else."

She nodded.

"You don't seem familiar, are you new around here?"

"...I guess. I'm just visiting for a bit, I'm located down in Tokyo."

"Ahh, Tokyo, the big city. Went there a few times back in my prime."

In all honesty she wasn't in the mood for chatting. But the man serving her seemed really nice and welcoming. It wouldn't kill her to make some small talk. 

"You in school?"

_ Beat _

"...Yeah. Up at Kamogawa."

"Aah, I see I see. What are you studying?"

"Theatre."

"Theatre! That's quite the major! You doin' plays and stuff?"

"Here and there. There's some history and backstage work in the mix too, so, it's pretty well rounded."

"Ehh, how fascinating. Ah, speaking of the stage," he looked behind her, a twinkle in his eye, "these young men right here are actually part of a band! They'd probably love to hear more about your experiences as a fellow perfomer."

"Oi, Master-!"

She turned around in her seat at the mention of a band, taking in the faces of the 5 boys properly this time, as she tried recalling if any of them looked familiar to her. They did not. Ah well.

"Why don't you tell her a bit more about your band, Yuuto? She seems interested." He winked, knowing of the curious stares they had towards this new girl, but none of them wanting to make the first move at conversation.

The one with the necklace, who she presumed was Yuuto, scratched the back of his head. "Ah, well-" 

"What's your band's name?" She asked, more bluntly than she intended to.

He stopped, looking at the girl with her full attention on him, surprised. He smiled confidently.

"Argonavis! The five of us have boarded this ship together to sail as far as the eye can see, boundless adventures waiting for us!"

"Although, our journey has only started recently," the cool dark haired boy commented as he leaned forward, chin resting on his hand. He seemed level headed and a bit hard to read.

"I see. Argonavis, huh... that's the name of the ship from the Golden Fleece, Jason and the Argonauts."

"Eh? You know of the legend too?"

The red haired boy spoke up, intrigued that she also knew of the Greek story.

"Mmh, I'm taking a Greek Myths course this semester, it's the legend I'm basing my final paper on."

"Ohh, that's pretty cool."

"Mmh, it's a fascinating story, although, I'll admit I got interested in it for a silly reason." She shook her head.

"Whatever the reason was, it still brought you to know of the legend, and I think that in itself is wonderful."

The boy certainly had a way with words, she noticed. Not in a cheesy way, but she could tell he cherished the story a lot.

"So, how often do you play out?" She asked, finding herself just a little bit more interested in this newbie band than before. 

"Ah- well, we just had our first show tonight, actually. Though it was a bit of a disaster..." Yuuto answered sheepishly.

"Only 1 person decided to show, and after all that practicing. Well, the only way to go from here is up!" The blond boy leaned back into his arms folded behind his head with a nonchalant expression.

"But, we just got a great opportunity! We're going to be the opening performance for a band called GYROAXIA!"

She turned to see the blue haired boy that had caught her attention when she first turned around. His purple eyes were now sparkling.

"GYRO...AXIA... yeah, I've heard of them."

"Eh, really?! I guess that's no surprise, they're amazing!"

She recalled some of the higher ups in the staff talking about them as a potential candidate for this year's upcoming LRFes-

"Well, I hope things go more smoothly from here."

"Mmh! Thank you!"

She turned back to her cup, the once hot drink now tepid between her hands.

"...you know," she started, feeling the unease settling in her stomach, "I get how that feels."

"Eh? How what feels?" Yuuto asked.

She shifted. Why was she going to talk about this? Wasn't this what she was trying to get away from?

"The 1 audience member thing. I know... how terrible that feels. I've had plays where maybe 5 people at most show up."

"5 people..." She assumed the poetic red head was speaking this time.

"Yeah... it's not fun. All the hard work put in, and the hope that it'll go well... it's easy to feel crushed."

She ran her finger along the rim of the cup.

"But at the same time, it's that feeling that makes it so exciting, that you never really know what's gonna to happen. The most unexpected and surprising things can pop up, even the smallest details can drastically change a performance, for better or for worse."

Her hands began to shake.

"And the feeling of being on stage, with others who have worked alongside you, working tirelessly in their own ways to make it a success, the thrill of the moments before it's all left to you and the audience's reactions, it's what makes performing unlike anything else."

A lump began forming in her throat.

"The things that we do for our performances, the time and effort and energy and blood sweat and tears, the late nights, the last minute look through, the changes made days before, it's what makes the stage so thrilling. Even if nothing comes out of it..."

Her words fell as she lowered her head, her hair falling in front of her face. The boys looked at each other, wondering what happened. 

Reaching out his hand before pulling it back, Master went into the back of the store, producing a small package of tissues when he returned. One tiny sniffle later, Argonavis realized she had started crying. She hadn't made a single sound, not a sob or whimper to be heard.

"... _ shit _ ," she swore under her breath, taking a tissue and dabbing at her eyes.

She loved theatre and acting so much, but lately she felt like a complete failure. Everything she'd worked towards in the years she spent trying to get the scholarship, refining her Japanese, practicing her acting, it was all going to waste.

The moment she ditched her classes and bought that Shinkansen ticket was the moment she hit rock bottom. And she had never felt more pathetic than she did now, sitting in a cafe far from home, soaked, and crying like a baby into her room temperature mocha.

"...you're really passionate about performing, aren't you?"

The blue haired boy who was excited earlier was standing beside her, now with concern in his eyes.

"I..." she crumpled the damp tissue in her hand, avoiding his line of sight, "I am. It's just... I'm not good enough."

"That's okay, isn't it? Because, you love it, right?"

"?"

"I think that's more than enough to keep doing it. And things will get better I think. Even if it's only 5 people, those 5 people went to see you. And that's amazing. It's true, we only had 1 person come tonight. But I don't think we failed. This is only our first step."

"First step huh..." she let out a weak laugh. "I've already had a year's worth of failures. It's kinda hard to see things getting better-"

"Then I'll support you!"

"Eh?" She whipped her head, unsure if what she heard was correct.  The other guys started questioning what he was doing, this "Ren", who was now looking at her with burning determination.

"I can tell you have so much passion towards performing. So I'll support you, because I don't want you to give up! No matter how hard it gets, I'll cheer you on!"

"Ah..."

He... believed in her.

Her lips quivered before she let out a soft laugh.

"I... I've never had someone want to be my fan so badly."

She sighed. 

"Alright... how about we be each other's fans then? I'll support Argonavis with all I have."

A huge smile painted his face. "Okay! Thank you very much! We'll keep doing out best."

She smiled, feeling a warmth in her chest that'd been absent for who knows how long.

"You know," Master started again, "it's really touching to see you supporting each other. But, shouldn't you at least know each others names first?"

"Oh, you're right!" He held out his hand towards her, a bright expression on his face.

"My name is Nanahoshi Ren. I'm the vocalist for Argonavis. It's very nice to meet you!"

"Nanahoshi Ren... It's nice to meet you as well." She took his hand, giving it a light shake.

"I'm Goryo Yuto, leader and guitarist! Nice to meet ya!"

"Matoba Wataru, bassist and lyricist. Nice to meet you."

"Kikyo Rio, keyboardist and composer. Nice to make your acquaintance."

"Shiroishi Banri, drummer! Glad to meet ya!"

Ren, Yuuto, Wataru, Rio, Banri.

She smiled.

"Aihara Fuyuko. 2nd year Theatre major, and a bit of a lost soul. Nice to meet you, Argonavis."

They returned with smiles of their own.

"And that's Master, the owner of this cafe. Heh, thought you could slip by without an intro of your own eh?" Yuuto poked fun at the man teasingly.

"Well, this is between you young folks, an old man like me doesn't need the attention." 

She turned back and downed the rest of her drink in one go.

"Done already eh?"

"Yeah. Got an early train to catch tomorrow, so I'm gonna head back to my hotel."

"I see. Stay safe out there."

"Will do. Thank you, Master."

He chuckled warmly.

She paid for her drink and collected her hoodie, still wet, but she didn't mind as much.

"Fuyuko!"

She stopped, turning around at the sound of the familiar voice calling out her name. It was Ren, walking towards her intently.

"Will... will we see you again?"

Her eyes widened. 

They... wanted to see her again?

"I... I don't know. I'm not sure if I'll ever come back here." She could feel the guilt from his downcast gaze and disheartened expression. 

"But," she added, "if you're ever in Tokyo, let's meet up."

He perked up, looking hopeful at the prospect of meeting again.

"Mmh, okay!"

She walked up to him, pulling out her phone from her bag.

"You got LINE?"

He nodded, pulling out his phone.  "I'm kinda new with it though, I'm not sure how to add people myself."

"Oh, just click on this and then it'll show me your QR code, and then I'll scan it like this-"

A notification popped up on each screen. 

Friend Request: Aihara Fuyuko 

Friend Request: Nanahoshi Ren

"Oh!" He accepted right away. 

"Add me too! C'mon, lets all exchange contacts!" Yuuto encouraged the others, and soon Fuyuko found her contact list finally lined with names. What a weird sight.

"Cool. Message me if you guys are ever in the area."

"I will. And, um, if I can, I want to see you in a play someday."

"A... heh, well, I'll make sure to save you a ticket then, though I can't guarantee I'll be landing any lead roles."

He shook his head. "I want to see you perform no matter what."

Her heart fluttered slightly at his bold declaration.

"I see. Well, that makes me happy to hear. I won't let you down."

A proclamation she didn't fully believe in.

She threw her hoodie back on before turning to face them.

"Good luck Argonavis. Don't give up out there- I wanna see ya play out at least once." She gave a peace sign before walking out of the cafe, as they waved goodbye.

As she stood on the landing, the rain having let up a tiny bit, she sighed. Tonight was certainly unexpected.

Pulling her hood back up and adjusting her bag on her back, she began back to her hotel. 

"Argonavis, Nanahoshi Ren, my first fan..." she smiled, feeling giddy with a sudden spring in her step, ignoring the rain for a whole new reason.

The next day, Fuyuko bought a ticket back to Tokyo. She spent those 5 hours on the train thinking; thinking about where to go from there, what she wanted to do.

The moment she got back to her place, she pulled up her email and sent a message to the guidance counsellor she hadn't spoken to in months.

_ Good morning. I hope this email finds you well. It's been a while since we last spoke, and I apologize for that. I would like to schedule an appointment within the next few days. Please let me know of your availability. Thank you. _

_ Aihara Fuyuko _

She didn't know where she wanted to go from here. But one thing was clear: she wanted to stay in Tokyo. And she wanted to change. And she needed help to do both.

_ Several months later _

Fuyuko jogged down the hallway, making a beeline for the staff room. She knew she had completely missed the staff intro session with the LRFes candidates, but there was one band she was going to meet with for sure- even if she was running a bit late. As she opened the door, not bothering to close it because she would be leaving quite soon, she walked over to the tiny fridge near the wall to her right, unloading the bags of sport drinks and tea and pudding she'd acquired on her snack run. The tune of a certain theme song that was stuck in her head became a hum escaping her lips, mumbling the lyrics at the parts she remembered. 

"Star Five, tobe, inochi moyase, dodo do do do, do dodo do dodo, dada da da daa~"

She hadn't gotten around to watching it yet, but the theme was way too catchy. 

Slamming the fridge door a bit harder than she should've, she ran back out the door, quickly checking her phone to confirm where they were meeting up.

* * *

10 minutes later, and slightly out of breath, she made it to the park. It was a beautiful day, a slight autumn breeze as the sun shone down around her, the colours just beginning to turn.

She looked around for a group of 5 guys, hoping maybe one of them would call out to her if it turned out she'd forgotten their faces. Fortunately that wasn't the case, as she spotted them clear as day, standing near a park bench, chatting amongst themselves. She quickly walked over to them.

"Hey, sorry I'm late, hope I didn't keep you guys waiting too long," she called out.

The boys turned around, but not one of them replied.

"Uh..." Yuto questioned, a puzzled look on his face.

She scratched her arm nervously. "Uh, it's me, Fuyuko."

All at once their expressions changed, ranging from realization to shock.

"Fuyuko-chan?! But- your hair-" Yuto stuttered.

"It's purple!" Banri exclaimed. "How neat!"

She laughed, unconsciously bringing her hand to her purple locks, relieved it was only her hair that caused confusion and not that they forgot her.

"Yeah, this is pretty recent, just got it done a couple days ago."

"It's suits you."

"Thanks, Rio!"

"Mmh, I agree, I really like it!" Ren stepped closer. She couldn't help the fondness washing over her as he admired her hair, nor the way she showed it off a little as she brushed it aside with her hand, letting the sun's rays highlight the bold violet.

"But really, it was a surprise to find out you work for LRFes," Wataru commented.

"Oh, did Eloise say something at the meeting?"

They nodded. She sighed.

"Well if it weren't for her I would've actually been there," she complained. "Just 'cause she wanted more of that tea from that imports store- but yeah, I'll be running the social media accounts, and maybe taking candid photos every now and then. I was a lowly stage hand before this whole manager thing, so go easy on me," she laughed.

And so began what would become some of the best friendships Fuyuko would ever make, as the 6 of them began walking around the park, waiting for their time they reserved to grab some dinner.

"Um, Fuyuko?"

"Hm? What's up Ren?"

"Well, it's just... you seem happier. I'm glad."

"...heh, yeah, I think I am."

And as she looked as Ren, his eyes sparkling as usual with a warm smile, and her giddiness returning once again, perhaps something else would begin as well?


End file.
